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Vivo S1 Unboxing and First Impressions

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After being silent for several months, Vivo is starting to make noise again with the announcement of the Vivo S1. These are our first impressions.
Vivo S1 Unboxing and First Impressions
Vivo S1

Vivo's latest comes with a large 6.38-inch FHD+ AMOLED display that is powered by a Helio P65 octa-core processor, Mali-G52 GPU, 6GB RAM and 128GB internal storage, and is priced at only PHP 14,999.

Let's take a closer look!

Unboxing/Accessories

Unboxed
Unboxed

The Vivo S1 comes in a familiar white box that Vivo has been using for years but this time there is no render of the phone in front.

Inside is the Vivo S1 itself with a pre-installed screen protector, USB Type-A to micro USB cable, 18W USB wall charger, 3.5mm jack earphones, clear case, SIM ejector tool, and paper documentations.

Build Quality/Design

Diamond Black
Diamond Black

Vivo has stepped up its design for this new phone. It uses a polycarbonate frame, but we love that it is lightweight yet solid even if there is no mention of Gorilla Glass. The beautiful glasstic backplate with gold trimmings makes it an eye-catcher, but a bit prone to fingerprint smudges.

Eye-catching design!

At the back is a unique diamond speckled backplate that depending on how the light hits it, reveals several shades of color and diamond-shaped reflections. On the top left side is the triple camera set-up with a beautiful gold trip around the module while at the bottom is the Vivo branding.
6.38-inch AMOLED display
6.38-inch AMOLED display

In front is the aforementioned 6.38-inch FHD+ AMOLED display. Even with such a large display the phone remains to be in a relatively small package with measurements of 159.53 x 75.23 x 8.13 mm. In particular, it has 90 percent of screen-to-body ratio. The reason behind that is Vivo's use of a small halo notch and relatively slim bezels.

In front, it has an In-Display fingerprint scanner that Vivo has innovated for years. After the initial set-up, the scanner quickly detects and reads our fingerprints and unlocks the phone correctly 9 out of 10 times without a hitch. We just had to clean and dry our fingerprint for that one time it failed.
Topside
Topside
Bottom side
Bottom

On top is a smooth surface while the bottom carries the speaker grill, micro USB port (USB-C next time please), microphone, and 3.5mm headphone jack.
left side
Left side
Right side
Right side

On the left side are the SIM card tray and the Virtual Assistant button while on the right is volume rocker and the power button.

It weighs at just 179 grams and it is quite comfortable to hold overall.

Initial findings

Great viewing angles
Great viewing angles

1. In front is the 6.38-inch 2.5D curved AMOLED screen with FHD+ 2340 x 1080 resolution at 404 ppi that produces bright and vibrant colors with consistent color and sharpness from all viewing angles through the reflections from light sources could be a concern for some but for this price point, it is negligible. 
GeekBench 4 score
GeekBench 4 score

2. Under the hood, it is powered by a 2.0GHz 64-bit Helio P65 octa-core processor with the Mali-G52 GPU and 6GB RAM which resulted in GeekBench scores of 1843 in the single-core tests and scores of 5996 in the multi-core test.

It is even higher than the Geekbench score of the Vivo V15 with Helio P70.

Powering the device is a large 4,500mAh battery that is charged with Vivo's 18W Dual-Engine Fast Charger that charges the phone from 0-100 percent in two hours which is fast for the large capacity.
Funtouch OS 9
Funtouch OS 9

3. It is running on the latest version of FunTouch OS 9 based on Android 9.0 Pie. It has updated visuals and features but it is still FunTouch OS.

This could be a concern for people, if you didn't like this skin, more likely you still won't. But if you did like it, then there's more too like. We still laud FunTouch OS for being one of the most battery efficient skins around.
Triple rear-cameras
Triple rear-cameras

4. Vivo S1 features a rear-facing camera made-up of a 16MP f/1.78 Sony IMX499, 8MP f/2.2 120-degree ultra-wide, and 2MP f/2.4 depth sensor while the front-facing camera is a 32MP f/2.0 Samsung ISOCELL GD1 sensor w/ AI and screen flash.

Our initial shots with the phone perform well especially the front-facing camera but we have to do more testing if it can perform consistently across several scenarios.

Related: Vivo S1 Unboxing and First Impressions

5. Connectivity-wise, the S1 connects via WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (2.4GHz/5GHz), 4G LTE, and Bluetooth 5. It supports OTG, FM Radio, GPS, and A-GPS. The in-display fingerprint scanner and face unlock upon initial set-up are quick and accurate.

Vivo S1 Specs

Display: 6.38-inch 2.5D curved AMOLED screen w/ FHD+ 2340 x 1080 resolution at 404 ppi
CPU: 2.0GHz 64-bit Helio P65 octa-core processor
GPU: Mali-G52
RAM: 6GB
ROM: 128GB expandable via microSD card slot up to 256GB (dedicated)
Back Camera: 16MP f/1.78 Sony IMX499 + 8MP f/2.2 120-degree ultra-wide + 2MP f/2.4 depth w/ LED flash
Selfie Camera: 32MP f/2.0 Samsung ISOCELL GD1 sensor w/ AI and screen flash 
Battery: 4,500mAh w/ 18W Dual Engine fast charging 
OS: Android 9.0 Pie w/ Funtouch OS 9 
Connectivity: WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (2.4GHz/5GHz), 4G LTE, Bluetooth 5, OTG, FM Radio, GPS, A-GPS, dual SIM (nano) 
Sensors: Accelerometer, light, orientation, proximity, gyroscope, sound, magnetic 
Others: In-Display fingerprint sensor, dual mic, Colors: diamond black, skyline blue 
Dimensions: 159.53 x 75.23 x 8.13 mm 
Weight: 179 g 
Price: PHP 14,999

As of the moment

Front-facing camera

Our initial impressions of the Vivo S1 are good because of its eye-catching design, large battery, and beautiful display. However, we wish it came with a USB Type-C instead of micro USB.

We will be running our usual long list of tests to see if the S1 can perform consistently. For the price of PHP 14,999, Vivo may have a winner here.

What do you guys think?
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